Ingot mold cleaning device and brush



March 30, 1954 Filed Jan. 19, 1950 v'l'. A. REPPER ET AL INGOT MOLD CLEANING DEVICE AND BRUSH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS.

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March 30, 1954 1 A, REPPER ETAL 2,673,363

.INGOT MOLD CLEANING DEVICE AND BRUSH Filed Jan. 19, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i ,halb

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 30, '1954 IN GOT MOLD CLEANING DEVICE AND BRUSH Theodore A. Repper and Joseph J. Spang, Middletown, Ohio Application January 19, 1950, Serial No. 139,388

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an ingot mold cleaning device and brush. In the casting of iron or steel ingots or the like it is necessary, after an ingot has been stripped from the mold, to scrub the inside of the mold to remove accumulated scale and dirt so as to prepare the mold for a succeeding casting operation. The cleaning of an ingot mold has always presented a diicult problem for the reason that the ingot mold is very large and cumbersome and the inside surfaces thereof are difficult to get at.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which will greatly simplify the operation of cleaning an ingot mold after a casting operation. It is another object of our invention to provide a device as outlined above which can be handled with an overhead crane. We rely upon the weight of the device to lower it into the ingot mold and we use an overhead crane or the like to withdraw it from the mold. The cleaning operation is carried out during the in and out movement of the device with respect to the mold.

It is another object of our invention to provide a replaceable brush for the device so as when a brush member becomes worn it may be easily replaced. In connection with this object, it is another object of our invention to provide a new form of brush.

These and various other objects of our invention which we shall point out in detail hereinafter or which will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications we accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which we shall now describe an exemplary embodiment.

Reference is made to the drawings forming a part hereof and in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a device according to our invention with parts broken away and parts in section.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional View taken on the line 3 3.

Figure 4 is an elevational View of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a supporting member.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Figure l.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary elevational view brush and brush holder.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary cross sectional View taken on the line 9 9 of Figure '7.

Figure 10 is a detailed elevational View of one of the bristle tufts, and Figure 11 is an elevational view of a tait-holding pin.

Briefly, in the practice of our invention we provide a block of generally rectangular configuration, and we pivot brush-holding members to the sides, ends and corners of the block. The

ofa

side and end brush holders are preferably in a single horizontal plane, while the corner brush holders are in a common plane preferably above the others. The brush holders are pivotally mounted so that they may swing outwardly away from the block, and spring means are provided to urge them outwardly. The block is provided with a suspension member by means of which it may be handled with an overhead crane or the like, and the suspension member is provided with means for supporting weights which may be added as required to insure the device dropping into an ingot mold by gravity.

The brushes themselves are constituted of perforated plates, and the bristles are made of stranded cable doubled upon itself and twisted to form an eye. Pins passing through a series of eyes hold the tufts in place.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, the block is indicated generally at Il). The side brushes are indicated at II, the end brushes at I2 and the corner brushes at I3. It may be pointed out that in Figures l to 4 inclusive and 6 the brush holders and brushes have been indicated more or less diagrammatically The ydetails of the brushes and brush holders are shown in Figures 7 to l1 inclusive. It will, of course, be understood that the brushes Il, I2 and I3 are all made as illustrated in Figures 7 to 1l inclusive.

As best seen in Figure 6, the brush holders for the brushes Il are mounted on pivoted arms I4 which are pivoted in slots in the block Ill at the points indicated at I5. Each of the arms I4 is provided with an upward extension I6 to which are secured the bolts II.

Extending upwardly from the block I 0 is a suspensison member I8 which has at its upper end an eye member I9 for use with the hook of an overhead crane or the like. The bolts I7 previously referred to pass through enlarged apertures I9 in the suspension member I8 and are provided with the nuts 20. Compression springs 2| are disposed about the bolts I'I between the extensions I6 and the suspension member I8. From the foregoing it will be clear that the springs 2l tend to urge the extensions IS away from the suspension member I8 thus rocking the arms I4 about their pivot point I5 and thrusting the brush members II outwardly. The nuts 2E limit the outward movement of the brushes. The brush holders are secured to the arms I4 by nuts and bolts as indicated at 22.

The end brushes i2 are mounted in the same way as described above. Thus there are provided the` pivoted arms 23v (see Figure l) having the upward extensions 24 to which are secured the bolts Eil having the nuts 2t and springs 21. Again the brush holders I2 are secured to the arms 23 by nuts and bolts as indicated generally at 2. In the case of the end brushes however the bolts 25 do not pass through the suspen- 'sion member I8. Instead there is secured to the block I a supporting 4plate 28. (See in perspective in Figure 5.) The plate 28 has an elongated aperture 29 for the passage of the bolt 26. The plate 28 is secured to the block IIJ by means of machine screws 30. Ihus the outward thrust upon the brushes I2 is produced by the come pression springs bearing between the extensions 24 and the supporting members 28.

The members 28 have angularly related edge portions 28a which are used as will be described hereinafter in connection with the corner brush members.

As best seen in Figures 3 and 4, the corner brush members are generally similar vto the side and end'brush 'members lin that there are arms 3l which are pivoted as at 32 to the block 33 which in turn are Secured by bolts or the like to the block I0. In the particular embodiment shown the arms 3| are welded as at Sla to the links 34 which in turn are pivoted on the pins y3`f. The corner brushes are not provided with upward extensions but instead the studs 36 are bolted to the portions Y28a mentioned above and other studs 31 are secured to the arms 3l. rIhe studs Y36 and 3l are alighedaxially and springs 38 tend to urge the brush members I3 away from the portions 28, similarly to the arrangement described above in connection with the side and end brushes.

The brushes I3 at the corners are preferably mounted above the side and end brushes so that there is overlap between the side, end and corner brushes for the purpose of securing continuous cleaning all the way around the internal periphery of the mold.

The suspension member I8 is preferably provided with a supporting block 39 which may be v Welded thereto as at 40 and which serves to support weights 4I which may be added as required to insure that the device will drop into the ingot mold by virtue of gravity alone.

Coming now to a detailed description of the brushes themselves, reference is had to Figures '7 to 11 inclusive. Each brush comprises a perforated plate 42 in which the perforations are preferably in parallel rows and evenly spaced. The perforations are indicated at 43. These perforations are preferably chamfered on both sides as indicated at 44 and 45. Parallel grooves 46 connect the perforations 43 as shown.

The tufts of bristles are preferably made of lengths of stranded cable which are bent upon themselves and given one or two twists as best seen in Figure lO, whereby the cut ends of the lengths of stranded cable face outwardly and form the individual bristles indicated at 4'! in Figure 10. Thus the other end of the tuft isprovided with an eye 48. The bristle tufts are placed in the perforations with the eyes 48 lying in the chamfers on the rear side of the plate 42 and pins 49 are then passed along the grooves 46 through the eyes 48 of the bristles in a row, as best seen in Figure 8. As the device is used the bristles tend to fan out as illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9.

From the foregoing it will be clear that individual tufts may readily be replaced by withdrawing the appropriate pin 49 and Vreplacing a worn out tuft with a new one, prepared as in Figure 10.

The entire plate 42 with the tufts in position is then placed in a brush holder 50 which may comprise 'a channel-shaped member of a size to ac- 4 commodate the plate 42 and the plate 42 is held to the holder 50 by means ofthe-machine bolts 5I and nuts 52. In this manner an entire brush may readily be replaced, if all of the tufts have worn down uniformly.

In use a suitable number of weights 4I are disposed. upon the support 49 as shown in Figure 6, and the entire device is lifted up by the eye I9 by the use of an overhead crane or the like, and the cleaning device is then lowered into an ingot mold. In entering the ingot mold which is shown in broken lines at 53 in Figures 1, 2 and 6 the brushes are compressed inwardly against the tension of the springs 2|, 2'I and 38. The entire cleaning device drops down to the bottom of lthe ingot mold by gravity and is then lifted out by means of an overhead crane. In so doing the bristles thoroughly clean all internal surfaces of the mold.

It will be clear that the operation is accomplished q tickly and efficiently and that not only individual bristle tufts but individual brushes can be replaced as required with a minimum of expense and effort. s

It will be clearjthat numerous modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention, and we therefore do not intend to limit ourselves in any manner except as set forth in the claims which follow.

Having now fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. An ingot mold cleaning device comprising a block of generally rectangular shape, brush holders hingedly disposed adjacent the bottom of said block on all four sides thereof substantially in a common plane for pivotal movement with respect to said block, other brush holders hingedly disposed at the four corners of said block in a different plane, spring means for urging said brush holders to pivot away from said block, and means for limiting the outward movement of said brush holders, and brushes mounted in said brush holders, the brushes in the first mentioned brush holders extending substantially the full length of the four sides of said block, and the brushes in said other brush holders circumferentially overlapping the brushes at the respective adjacent sides.

2. A device according to claim l, wherein said block is provided with a rigid suspension member whereby it may be suspended from an overhead crane for handling, said suspension member having a platform above said block to support weights thereon to insure that said device will descend into aningot mold by gravity.

THEOD'ORE A. REPPER'.v JOSEPH J. SPANG.

References Cited in the file 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '711,544 Tesch Oct. 21, 1902 795,062 Pollmann July 18, 1905 1,020,762 Judson Mar. 19, 1912 1,493,670 Galvin May 13, 1924 1,892,926 Bilde Jan. 3, 1933 2,284,391 Helle May 26, 1942 2,392,909 Fogliasso Jan. 15, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 143,080 Germany July 30, 1903 

